Embracing Our Literary Influences
By Diana Giovinazzo | April 28, 2022 |
“Writers don’t have time to read.”
It was a phrase someone said at a book club I attended as nonchalantly as I think it’s going to rain tomorrow. Later that week, as I wandered the aisles of Vroman’s bookstore with my little bundle of books in my arms, I too wondered, “Am I going to have time to read all these books?”
Reading has always been second nature to me to the point where I could easily get away with saying that I was born with a book in my hand. From Teddy Ruxpin to Reading Rainbow, my childhood revolved around books. A trip to the bookstore was just as good as a trip to Toys ‘R Us, if not better. That love of reading continued through my adult years, especially when I would devour books like someone coming off a three-week fast. I am still proud of the fact that I once read a whole book within one eight-hour shift at the crappy travel reservation call center where I worked.
Now that I am a full-time author, the ability to carve out that time to read, I admit, sometimes feels a bit hard–between deadlines, my podcast, family obligations, and life in general. Once when I had taken a break from writing for a day to read a book, I admitted to my husband that I felt almost guilty for not working on my deadline. My husband simply responded, “Why? It’s part of your writing process.” As I settled back into reading my book, I realized that he was right (but please don’t tell him that, it will go straight to his head).
You often hear musicians mention their literary influences, like Dave Grohl sharing how the Pixies influenced Nirvana in his book, The Storyteller, with their “tight, simple verses that explode into giant, screaming choruses.”
Couldn’t the same be said for writers?
Having been a longtime fan of Eve Babitz, I return to her books over and over, just for the descriptions. Take this example from her novel, Black Swans: Stories.
The land of self-enchantment had, once more, upheld its end of the deal—to be there for those willing to stay. By then, the jacaranda flowers had all fallen and squashed onto the streets in sticky mush, no longer turning the town lavender with clouds, but still, they’d be there again next May and so would I.
It’s the way she paints with words that have continued to mesmerize me. Odds are you don’t know what jacaranda flowers are, but you can picture the clouds of lavender and the sticky mush left all over the street. The style with which she describes things is one that I seek to be able to capture within my fictional world.
Likewise, when reading Elena Ferrante, I can’t help but feel in awe of the movement of her prose, the way one simple sentence — “Her quickness of mind was like a hiss, a dart, a lethal bite” — can invoke so much imagery within so few words. And in less than fifteen words, I know exactly what that character’s mind is like.
There are hundreds of books telling you how to write and many of them are quite good. However, there is nothing that can replace the ability to study craft than going directly to the source. Recently when faced with the question of changing the point of view of my work in progress, the first thing I did was find a list of books to read so that I might study the techniques that my fellow writers used. One friend and I had a late-night chat about books she recommended that were written in the third person, and I recommended books to her that were part epistolary.
Just as every musician has their influence, we as authors can have our own as well. We gain our influences from reading other books, from both the classics to the contemporaries. Ernest Hemingway was influenced by James Joyce, while James Joyce was influenced by William Shakespeare, who was influenced by the poets Michel de Montaigne and Petrarch. Do you see where I am going with this?
As much as any of us would like to think so, we aren’t born brilliant writers who spin tales that create stories within a void. We need our influences. So the next time you are wandering around your favorite bookstore, just remember that the stack of books tumbling out of your arms is not taking away from your writing time. It is enhancing it.
What is one classic and one contemporary literary influence that has influenced you? And what book written in the third person do you recommend?
Diana Giovinazzo is the co-creator of Wine, Women and Words, a weekly literary podcast featuring interviews with authors over a glass of wine. Her debut novel, THE WOMAN IN RED, released in 2020, and her second novel, ANTOINETTE’S SISTER, released in 2022. You can find her in the Los Angeles area with her menagerie and husband.
[coffee]
1984 by George Orwell comes to mind. I read it in high school and the premise has stuck with me for decades. While I don’t claim to write anything like Audrey Niffenegger–how could I, she’s brilliant–her book, The Time Traveler’s Wife, has influenced me greatly. When I’m struggling to stay motivated or the voices of my characters seem far away, I read The Time Traveler’s Wife. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve jumped to that book, but I can honestly say I wouldn’t be the same writer without it. I’ve never met Audrey, but I thank her dearly. LOL.
Hello Diana. Thanks for reminding writers that they don’t appear ex nihilo, out of nothing, but are more like sedimentary rock, an accretion of influences. Actually, this is true of non-writers as well (in other words, true of everybody). The only thing I would add to your intelligent post is to argue in favor of quality over quantity. Instead of the armful of books lugged home regularly from bookstore or library, I recommend responding when a book seizes us in an especially strong way. That sense of encounter leads me to reread the book or essay, perhaps several times, to internalize it. The trick is to move on from reading for what comes next , to how it’s been done. As for influential classics and contemporary works that have influenced me (or, more modestly, that I hope have had influence), Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and various Elmore Leonard novels are at the top of my list. Both writers demonstrate a beautiful economy of means, but without seeming to shortchange anything. And of special importance to me is that both writers have a true comic gift. I don’t think it’s possible to see clearly without that gift. That’s why I can’t trust a book devoid of a sense humor.
Lovely essay, Diana. Our literary influences are also who we are. When I was asked to write a biography for a writing course, it ended up as a love letter to the books that shaped me. https://vijayabodach.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-biography-in-books.html
Picking just one book out of dozens that I love is hard. A classic that I return to again and again is Adventures in Two Worlds by A.J. Cronin and a contemporary, The Right to Write by Julia Cameron. Both are nonfiction. A favorite book in 3rd person is White Banners by Lloyd C. Douglas.
Classic: Anne Tyler, though she is still alive and writing. Contemporary: Celeste Ng, Jennifer Haigh. A third-person favorite, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, by Anne Tyler. Thanks for this thoughtful post. Our favorite authors are a source of great guidance.
I’ve only read Breathing Lessons. But I will definitely add Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant to my tbr list
I’m with you regarding Anne Tyler. The first chapter of The Accidental Tourist is a close to perfect as anyone has a right to hope for.
I loved both The Accidental Tourist and Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, and second both Ann Patchett and Celeste Ng. For the hoary classic, Mark Twain.
Third-person (or mostly third-person) goodies: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles, Plainsong, Kent Haruf, Stoner, John Williams (though pretty much confined to the lead character, Stoner’s, head), and Jack, Marilynne Robinson.
Nothing supports good writing as well as reading good writing. Experiencing that is probably how many of us came to be writers. I’m not sure the one exists without the other. It’s tough enough being a writer in a world that increasingly – doesn’t read. I don’t want to diminish those numbers by even one.
Couldn’t agree more. And I definitely find that I write more when I read more!
“There are hundreds of books telling you how to write and many of them are quite good. However, there is nothing that can replace the ability to study craft than going directly to the source.”
Love that.
What an excellent reminder, Diana, to stop and read a worthy tale … better than smelling roses, for writers at least.
Truman Capote is the classic author that comes to mind. He had such a way of turning descriptive passages into vivid, soul-haunting images, especially when turning his gaze to his characters at emotional turning points.
Ann Patchett is a more contemporary author whose writing inspires. And being a visual sort – meaning I cheat with film ;) – nearly any episode of Mad Men or The Good Wife awakens something in me … such solid storytelling – from character to setting to dialogue – all spun together to perfection.